John hughes



(No Model.)

J. HUGHES. Casing for Glass and other Fragile Vessels "Patented Septb21, 1 880.

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A- 4121 2 fiM PETERS ER. wAs msToN, n c.

' UNITED STATES JOHN HUGHES, or

PATENT EETcE.

PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO THOMAS E. HUGHES, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 232,502, dated Application filed J une 12, 1880. (No model.)

1" all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN HUGHES, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and use- 5 ful Improvement in Casings for Glass and other Fragile Vessels; and l.do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an elevation of devices embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the casing and vessel. Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

My invention relates to the manner of incasing and protecting glass and other fragile portable vessels; and it consists in a guardframe composed of a top and a base collar, the former havinga spring-flange which takes over the shoulder of the vessel, and the latter a spring-annulus which takes under the bottom of and supports the vessel, said collars con- 2 5 nected by vertical guard-wires which support horizontal guard-wires, the whole forming an inclosing guard-frame, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

For the purpose of protection when in use or during transportation, glass vessels, tin cans, and like portable receptacles have been variously incased. In the case of tin cans wood, either as veneer or thin sheets or in the form of slats, has been employed for this purpose, while in the case of glass and other fragile vessels wire, wood, and slotted sheet metal have been used as casin g material, and in many instances an interposed packing has been employed to protect the "essel against breakage by sudden jars, 85c.

The object of the present invention is to provide a protecting-case for fragile vessels, which will not only in a great measure protect the vessel from direct blows, but which will neunected by the vertical wires 0 c, sufficiently 5 tralize or not transmit any sudden shocks, blows, or jars.

I will now proceed to describe my lnventlon,

so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same. so y In the drawings, A indicates the inoased September 21, 1880.

vessel. B is the base ring or collar, which may be of tin or other suitable metal, wired below,

as at I), and O is a ring or collar of similar form, adapted to inclose the upper portion of the vessel. The collars B and O are connected by a series of wires, 0, which project through and are soldered or otherwise firmly connected to each collar. These wires 0 are curved so that their length exceeds the distance between their points of connection to the collars, and stand out from the vessel, having no direct contact therewith. This construction gives to the vertical guard-wires a spring action, which enables them to yield, and thus coact with the spring-annulus and flange E F in resisting either jars arising from sudden contact of the base rin g with any surface or those due toside blows upon the guard wires. In order to strengthen the guardframe and more effectually protect the vessel A, these wires 0 are braced and held in position by a series of wire rings or transverse wires, (1, which are arranged at suitable distances apart and are soldered or otherwisesecured thereto, as at cl. Two of the wires 0 may form pintles for a bail,

D, or the bail may be hinged directly to the ring 0, as at c. The wires 0 and (2, while serving to connect the two collars, also form an effective guard or protection for the vessel without interfering with the inspection of its contents.

The bottom for retaining and supporting the vessel is formed by combining with the base ring or collar B a cupped or concave annulus, E, which is secured to the base-ring 8 B'by soldering it thereto, as at w. Such construction will permit of a slight spring action in the annulus, which will effectually counteract and neutralize all jars and shocks arising from forcibly setting down the package. The

collar G is provided with a similar flange, F, which operates in the same way. It will be perceived that the vessel is thus held between two spring-surfaces, E and F, which are conyielding to coact with said devices.

I have provided the vessel with a stopper, Gr, having a pouring-spout, H, which is provided with flanges h, one above and the other below the cork, and

an air-vent, h, for supme I plying air to the vessel as the contents are discharged.

The advantages of my invention are the lightness, cheapness, simplicity, and eftectivcness of the guard-frame, the ability to get at the exterior of the vessel for the purpose of cleaning the same, the ability to inspect the contents of the vessel and note the amount thereof, and the spring protection which the collars and flanges and guard-frame afford against sudden blows, shocks, orjars.

I am aware that an elastic metallic basering has heretofore been employed in conjunction with eitherapaper or sheet-metal casing or both; but in such construction the casing was not of a character to yield or eoact with the spring base-ring.

I am also aware that a vertical wire guardframe has been used in conjunction with an annular metallic base-ring; but in such case the wires extended beneath the base of the vessel and across the base-ring in such manner as to counteract any spring .or elasticity which the base-ring might otherwise have possessed and I am also aware that several other casings and cages have been constructed of vertical guard-wires with metallic base-rings, cushions and springs being interposed between the base-ring and vessel to protect the latter from shocks; therefore I do not broadly claim either the elastic base-ring or the wire guard-frame, nor do I claim the specific constructions before specified; but 1am not aware that a wire guard has been combined with a spring-annulus to support the vessel and a spring or elastic flange to inelosethe vessel above the shoulder, as hereinbefore described; and therefore,

Having thus set forth the nature, object, and advantages of my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with a glass or like fragile vessel, of a casin g consisting of the base-collar having the spring annulus or flange E, the upper collar having the spring-flange F to inclose the shoulder of the vessel, the curved vertical guard-wires 0, of greater length than the distance between their points of connection to the collars, and the guard-wires d, the

collars B 0 being connected by the vertical guard-wires, and the several parts constructed and combined substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN HUGHES.

Witnesses:

JoHN K. SMITH, JOHN J. MeCoRMroK. 

